European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde will resign Feb. 7, nine months ahead of the end of her 8-year term, the ECB said Thursday.

The resignation opens the way for European leaders to choose a successor for the ECB president and other top officials whose terms are ending next year.

There had been speculation that Lagarde would leave early to enable EU leaders to choose a successor while pro-EU French President Emmanuel Macron is still in office and guard against the possibility that right-wing presidential candidate Marine Le Pen might win the election and influence the choice.